Case Number 22363

MIDSOMER MURDERS: BARNABY'S TOP 10

The Charge

"So you do suspect some naughtiness?"

Opening Statement

John Nettles recently left Midsomer Murders, where he had been playing
Inspector Tom Barnaby since 1997. While Acorn Media's releases will take a while
to catch up to his departure, Acorn has released Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's
Top 10, a farewell collection of Nettles' favorite episodes from early
seasons, with introductions. Some of these episodes appeared on A&E.

Facts of the Case

Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Top 10 contains well over forty deaths (a
couple are even natural causes) in ten movie-length mysteries, each on its own
disc:

* "The Killings at Badger's Drift" -- The first-ever Midsomer
Murders finds Inspector Barnaby looking for a flower that could hold the key
to the murder of a retired schoolteacher. Emily Mortimer (Match Point),
whose father penned the long-running Rumpole of the Bailey, and Selina
Cadell (Doc Martin) are among the cast of suspects in the story adapted
from the Caroline Graham novel. "This must be the first police search organized
for a flower."

* "Blue Herrings" -- Barnaby takes a vacation to paint his new
home, but soon finds himself investigating deaths and burglary at the nursing
home where his Aunt Alice is recuperating from an illness. "There seem to
have been a lot of sudden deaths at Lawnside lately."

* "A Worm in the Bud" -- A young girl and boy who found a woman
dying in Setwale Wood take an interest in Barnaby's investigation. Soon, a body
outline in flowers ominously shows up on a lawn. Wendy Craig
(Butterflies) guests. "May we see some detecting?"

* "Dark Autumn" -- A postman who's been ringing more than twice is
stamped out, with more murders following. Witnesses said they heard music around
the times of the killings. Robert Glenister (Hustle) guests. "Why
does everyone in the village seem to be...at it?"

* "Dead Man's Eleven" -- With a cricket bat turning out to be
deadly as a murder weapon, Barnaby doesn't even want to visit Fletcher's Cross,
but his wife Joyce wants to move there. Terence Rigby (The Beiderbecke
Affair) guests. "Every time I go into any Midsomer village, it's always
the same thing -- blackmail, sexual deviancy, suicide, and murder."

* "Death of a Hollow Man" -- Joyce has a bit part in a local play,
so naturally there's a death onstage, as a prop knife turns out to be real and
an actor slits his own throat without realizing it. Caroline Graham adapted the
script from her own novel. "You've got a wide field. The man was a
heartless shit."

* "The Electric Vendetta" -- The author of Close Encounters of
the Midsomer Kind proves a nuisance for Barnaby as he investigates a series
of murders that look otherworldly. "How are you going to arrest an
extraterrestrial?"

* "Murder on St. Malley's Day" -- Barnaby and Joyce are visiting
Devington School with friends on the day of the annual foot race. Naturally, one
of the boys comes back bleeding to death. "The eyes and ears of Devington
School are everywhere in this village."

* "A Talent for Life" -- An widow (Honor Blackman, The
Avengers) who enjoys fast driving and champagne picnics has a lucky windfall
just before her bloody beating death. Weighted fishing lures find their way into
the plot somehow. "The village has lost quite a character in
Isabel."

* "Strangler's Wood" -- A wife (Phyllis Logan, Lovejoy)
suspects her husband of killing a cigarette spokesmodel. The latest string of
murders interferes with Barnaby's attempts to bond with his daughter Cully.
"Carla the girl. Carla the cigarette. Kill the one, and you probably kill
the other."

The Evidence

You might have trouble watching any detective series after hearing
John Nettles talk about Midsomer Murders; I had a few chuckles while
watching the season premiere of Hawaii Five-O after hearing his comments.
While he has warm reminiscences about actors he's worked with and the hard work
of series extras, Nettles is irreverent. He's fond of pointing out plot holes,
including a murder that Barnaby didn't bother to explain, as he jokes about the
general "lunacy" of the series. Some of the themes are familiar from
his commentaries elsewhere, but Nettles is still a most engaging host.

I haven't seen the first seasons of Midsomer before, but the episodes
probably are the best -- or at least the most unusual -- of the early seasons.
My favorite was "Dark Autumn," which had the particularly memorable
gimmick of having the killer bring along his own theme music. Beyond that,
"Dead Man's Eleven" ends on a particularly creepy note, and Honor
Blackman's widow in "A Talent for Life" may remind viewers of her
widow in The Avengers. Viewers could also be amused by the fact that the
girl in "A Worm in the Bud" seems to be doing as well as Barnaby in
solving the mystery or the irony underlying "Strangler's Wood."

The must in the collection, however, is "The Killings at Badger's
Drift." It starts on a gentle, peaceful note, with a schoolteacher on a
bicycle riding through the village, past the "Badger's Drift: Midsomer's
Best Kept Village" sign. The mood changes, as expected, when she heads into
the woods to capture an unusual orchid in a photo. She hears a groan. When she
sees what's happening, she rushes home to make a phone call. Soon, there's a
knock at the door, and the schoolteacher is dead. The body count gets up to
seven (although only five are murders), and the movie is full of odd notes: bees
being told of their keeper's death, a sandwich tray that viewers will come to
associate with sinister doings, and that search for the orchid. The performances
are broadly hammy, as they still are on Midsomer. Here, Barnaby isn't
just his normal singleminded self; he has a strange nightmare as he pieces
together the case details.

These are early Midsomer movies, so it's not hi-def. The picture
looks good, but it's 1.78:1, and I don't think those were the original
dimensions back in 1997. I didn't notice anything obviously cut off, though.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

You might want to watch John Nettles' intros after watching the mysteries,
since he's often giving away solutions or other plot details.

You also should realize that this isn't family fare. Barnaby always at least
finds an adulterer, and incest is involved in one of the cases. There's a lot of
blood, and some nudity.

Closing Statement

While I enjoyed John Nettles' comments, I wouldn't double-dip for them.
Instead, Barnaby's Top 10 provides a crash course in the early seasons
for newcomers to the series, something that might be better than buying the
whole early season sets. It also provides a good selection for anyone who has
watched Midsomer on television and wants to skip to its oddest moments on
DVD.